A Dundee mother-of-four who pushed herself to attend a college course after overcoming severe depression and anxiety has won a prize at this year’s Enterprising Students Awards.
Dundee College student Phyllis Horn, from Broughty Ferry, was presented with a cheque for £300 at the college’s Kingsway Campus on Wednesday after she gained “commended” status at the awards ceremony at the Falkirk Wheel.
With support from the occupational therapy service and college staff, she was able to work through her fears to complete a qualification in complementary therapy this year. Phyllis has gone on to open her own holistic massage business Revive, which will be aimed specifically at the corporate sector.
After battling her condition for more than 12 years, the entrepreneur is keen to let other sufferers know there can be “light at the end of the tunnel.”
She said, “People who suffer from depression need to know that they can get through it and that there is help there for them. It is something that will be with me my whole life and I have relapses now and again but I know that I can make it through.”
The Enterprising Students Awards are run by Scotland’s Colleges and supported by the Federation of Small Businesses.
Funding is handed to students who have set up their own ventures, either while still at college or soon after completing their studies.